10 superstitions from Moldova and Romania (I)

posted on August 10, 2017

Are you superstitious or not? Either you answer yes or no, the superstitions listed below may be interesting for anyone as part of Moldovan and Romanian culture. These may tell you more about why some people behave the way they do.

1. When leaving the house for a longer time, all people in the house have to sit down and stay silent for a few seconds right before the farewell. To a safe trip of the traveler.

Everytime I had to leave Moldova after my holidays at home, my mom asked me to sit down with her for a few moments. I'm always amused when she's asking me to do that, but since it's comforting her, I just do it. Besides, usually when I leave for a longer time, I have to pack lots of things, so part of the house is a bit in mess on my departure, but my mom never cleans it until I reach my destination, as it might bring bad luck to me.
Only this first superstition is not common in Romania. It is well known in Russia, and so it might explain its presence in Moldova.

2. If you have hiccups, someone is talking about you.
Weirdly, the contraction of the diaphragm transformed into a superstition. What's more, to stop the hiccups, there are some strange solutions, including to drink water from four different angles of the cup, so as to make the sign of the cross!

3. When sewing a cloth that is on you, you should keep a piece of thread in your mouth, not to sew your mind.

I was doing this all my life, but I never asked myself why. Apparently, if you don't do it, you will sew your mind. I can't define myself as superstitious, but as I acquired some of these beliefs when I was a kid, I just kept respecting them without questioning their meaning. So, maybe superstitions are just habits?

4. A black cat crossing your path brings you bad luck.

This superstition is widely known in other cultures as well. However, in Japanese culture, the black cat is actually a bearer of luck. I remember when I was a kid, to get rid of the bad luck brought by the cat, one had to throw a little stone in front of the path crossed by the cat, so as to make a cut through it.

5. Whistling in a house will bring bad financial luck to the house.

Anytime I've heard someone whistling in a house, there was a warning not to. Be it true or not, everyone fears their survival in the capitalist world.

6. Spilled salt brings a dispute.

And funnily, that dispute may start exactly for the reason salt was spilled and it will cause a quarrel.

7. Unmarried people should never sit at the corner of table, otherwise they won't ever get married.

From my experience, I would say people really believe so or at least they don't want to risk the bad luck it would bring, be this superstition true. So, in most of the cases, unmarried people won't be allowed by their folks to stay at the corner of the table.

8. If your nose is itchy you will argue with someone or get drunk.

If I'm in the company of my boyfriend and his nose or mine is scratching, we always joke: let's have a drink. It's better than to argue.

9. Two people should not wipe off with the same towel at the same time, otherwise they will argue.

Quite a lot of superstitions related to disputes and bad luck, right?

10. An owl hooting at night nearby your house announces someone's death in the house.

I remember, as a kid, I heard one night an owl hooting repeatedly, and I was scared about what's going to happen next days. Fortunately, no one died. Just an owl hooting. Or not?

Our way of being is assuredly influenced by our beliefs. That is why I find it interesting to discover everything about people in a country, region or community. And what makes us different, is what makes this world more fascinating.

Remember: in different parts of Moldova and Romania, these superstitions might differ slightly, but they carry anyway their general meaning.

If you want to read the second part of this article click here. But first, tell me, what strange superstitions do you have in your culture?